1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and devices for transferring fluids having a vapor component from storage facilities to fluid receiving containers while preventing discharge of vapor or fluid into the environment and, more particularly, to such devices and systems for transferring volatile fluids such as fuel into movable vehicles such as trucks without environmental contamination. Specifically, the present invention relates to a total containment system for high volume fuel delivery for fleet vehicles that simultaneously attends to multiple fluid needs of the fleet vehicle while providing vehicle information to both the owner as well as the fueling station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different situations that require the transfer of fluids having volatile vapor components from one container to another, such as from a storage container to a fluid receptacle. In such situations, it is highly desirable, and even at times required, to prevent the spillage of any fluids or the release of any vapors during the transfer process.
One example of this involves the refueling of movable vehicles, such as automobiles and trucks. There are various concerns involved during the refueling process. These concerns include the spillage of liquid fuel both during and after the refueling process, the venting of vapors during and after refueling that are hazardous to the individual performing the refueling, the release of vapors displaced during the process of refueling, and drips and spills both immediately before and after refueling. To address these various concerns, a great amount of effort has previously been made to eliminate the spillage of fuel both before, during and after the refueling operation. Examples of delivery nozzle devices that are intended to accomplish this task include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,443, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,175, U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,742, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,768, U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,222, U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,014, U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0069934, U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0121313, PCT Publication No. WO 91/01266 and EPO Patent Publication No. 0 349 316.
Other approaches to addressing the above problems include system designs that involve fuel dispensing devices interacting with the receiving container itself to attempt to eliminate the above problems. Some examples of such approaches include system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,758, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,521, U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,178, U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0079797, and French Patent No. 2,600,318.
While many of the above approaches do eliminate a substantial portion of vapor emissions as well as reduce fuel spillage, they do not totally eliminate the problem of environmental contamination from drips, leaks, fumes and vapor from raw petroleum fuels. Moreover, they do not address the additional issues of concern to fleet vehicle operators and owners. These issues include high volume and high speed fuel transfer, the transfer of non-fuel fluids required by truck operators, such as oil, hydraulic fluid, engine coolant, transmission fluid, windshield solvent and urea, the monitoring and maintenance of tire pressure, and the monitoring and maintenance of other vehicle safety and subsystems. While U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,967 discloses a system for diagnosing and reporting the condition of vehicle subsystems while refueling, there is no system to address the needs for changing the conditions that are monitored. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for such a device and system, and the present invention addresses and solves these particular problems in the art.